Ex-La. Tech Point Guards Face Off As Coaches In Women's NCAA Tournament

Associated Press

Former La. Tech point guards coaching against each other in women's NCAA Tournament

Kim Mulkey and Brooke Stoehr were both NCAA Final Four point guards at Louisiana Tech.

The former pupils of legendary women's coach Leon Barmore are now coaching against each other in the NCAA Tournament. Mulkey's perennial Big 12 champion Lady Bears are home Friday to play a Northwestern State team, co-coached by Stoehr and her husband, Scott, that has never won an NCAA game.

"I guess I don't even think about her having played for me. You're so focused on your job," said Mulkey, an associate coach for Barmore when she recruited Stoehr before leaving two seasons later to coach Baylor in 2000. "Hug 'em in the hallway, and say good to see you, how's the family doing, how are the kids doing. But it's just a job, and I don't think of it any other way."

Especially at tournament time.

Baylor (30-3), the No. 2 seed in the Oklahoma City Regional, is starting the NCAA Tournament at home for the fourth time in five years. The Lady Bears, now with Big 12 player of the year Nina Davis and national assists leader Niya Johnson, have been to at least the Sweet 16 six years in a row.

Northwestern State (19-14) had to win four games in four days for their second Southland Conference Tournament title in a row and fourth NCAA berth.

Montana Dreams

Montana (24-8) hopes to join Harvard in becoming only the second No. 16 seed to knock off a top seed. Harvard beat Stanford 71-67 in 1998. The Lady Griz face the Fighting Irish (31-2) in Friday's late game. ... Notre Dame guard Jewell Loyd was asked what she knew about the state of Montana. "Not that much, to be honest. We learned capitals back in grade school, but honestly I'm not too focused about the state." ... The 16th-seeded Savannah State Lady Tigers (21-10) play their first-ever tournament game Friday against No. 1 seed South Carolina (30-2) in the same building where the Gamecocks pounded them 111-49 on Dec. 14.

California considers this the perfect opportunity to kick off another special NCAA Tournament run right at home.

Two years ago, Brittany Boyd and Reshanda Gray were part of Cal's first and only Final Four team.

Now as seniors who will soon be first-round picks in the WNBA draft, and hosting the first and second rounds at Haas Pavilion, there are high expectations for the fourth-seeded Golden Bears (23-9) as they open the Albany Regional against 13th-seeded Wichita State (29-4) on Friday.

"We're ready to make a deep run; we're in a good place and it feels right," coach Lindsay Gottlieb said Thursday.